Breast Cup Core, Breast Cup, and Method of Making Same

ABSTRACT

There is provided an injection molded breast cup core and a breast cup core having a plurality of through holes. There is also provided a breast cup, a bra, or a shapewear comprising such a breast cup core as well as a mold for manufacturing such a breast cup core. A method of injection molding a breast cup core is also provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a breast cup core, a breast cup of abrassiere or shapewear, and methods of making the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Brassieres (bras) and shapewear comprise two breast cups. Shapeweargenerally includes a body portion in addition to the breast cups, suchthat the shapewear extends from the chest to the waist. It is sometimespreferable to have thin breast cups for both bras and shapewear. Thinbreast cups are typically formed of fabric alone or fabric layers with athin layer of foam positioned therebetween. However, such thin breastcups generally do not provide much support and do not by themselvesmaintain a desirable cup shape.

Thus, there remains a need for thin breast cups which are supportive tothe wearer's breasts and which maintain their shape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to solve the aforementioned problems.

A first aspect of the present invention provides an injection moldedbreast cup core. A second aspect of the present invention provides abreast cup core having a plurality of through holes.

The breast cup core may be formed from a thermoplastic rubber material.

The breast cup core according to the first aspect of the inventionpreferably has a plurality of through holes. Preferably, the pluralityof through holes are arranged in a predetermined pattern, such as a lacepattern or a geometrical pattern. The plurality of through holes maycomprise regularly shaped holes, which may each have a diameter of atleast 1 mm. Through hole density may vary across the breast cup core.

The breast cup core may have regions of varied thickness. An increasedthickness is preferably formed at the underarm region and/or at thelower peripheral region. An increased thickness may be formed at an apexregion that corresponds to the wearer's nipple area.

The breast cup core preferably extends across substantially the whole ofthe breast cup. A substantial portion of the cup core may comprise athickness of about 1 mm.

The breast cup core may comprise an underwire molded with the breast cupcore.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a breast cup comprisingan inner layer of material, an outer layer of material, and an injectionmolded breast cup core sandwiched between the inner layer and the outerlayer.

The inner and outer layers of the breast cup may be joined about aperiphery of the cup by sewing or hemming.

The breast cup may further comprise an underwire. The underwire may bemolded with the breast cup core or attached to an inner side of theinner layer of material, or even be attached to an outer side of theouter layer of material.

The inner and outer layers of the breast cup may be both formed from afabric material.

Alternatively, the inner layer may be formed from a fabric material andthe outer layer is formed from a lace material.

Alternatively, the inner layer of material and the outer layer ofmaterial may each comprise a fabric layer laminated with a foam layer.The foam is preferably polyurethane foam. The foam layer may have athickness of about 1 mm. The inner layer of material, the cup core, andthe outer layer of material may be molded together.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a brassiere comprisingan injection molded breast cup core.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a shapewear comprisingan injection molded breast cup core.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a breastcup core described above. A method is provided for manufacturing abreast cup core by injection molding the breast cup core from a materialsuitable for injection molding.

The method preferably further comprises forming a plurality of throughholes in the breast cup core. The plurality of through holes may beformed during the injecting molding of the breast cup core. Preferably,the plurality of through holes is formed in a predetermined pattern. Theplurality of through holes may be formed as regularly shaped throughholes. The holes may be formed with a diameter of at least 1 mm. Theplurality of through holes may be formed in a lace pattern or ageometrical pattern.

Injection molding the breast cup core may comprise forming the breastcup core with regions of varied thickness. Injection molding the breastcup core may comprise forming the breast cup core with an increasedthickness at the underarm region and/or at the lower peripheral region.Injection molding the breast cup core may comprise forming the breastcup core with an increased thickness at an apex region that correspondsto the wearer's nipple area

The method may further comprise molding an underwire with the breast cupcore in the process of injection molding.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a mold for injectionmolding a breast cup core, the mold comprising a cavity in the shape ofa breast cup core for receiving injection molded material to form abreast cup core. The mold may be a two-part mold and further comprise aplurality of protrusions which extend across the cavity to form throughholes in a breast cup core formed in the mold. The mold may comprisefurther protrusions that are adapted to hold an underwire in apredetermined position within the cavity.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method ofmanufacturing a breast cup comprising injection molding a breast cupcore; sandwiching the breast cup core between an outer layer of materialand an inner layer of material; and joining the outer layer and theinner layer. The outer layer and the inner layer may be joined by sewingor hemming.

The method may further comprise providing an underwire. The underwiremay be molded with the breast cup core in the process of injectingmolding or attached to an inner side of the inner layer of material orto an outer side of the outer layer of material.

The inner and outer layers may be both formed from a fabric material.Alternatively, the inner layer may be formed from a fabric material andthe outer layer may be formed from a lace material. Alternatively, theinner and outer layers may be each formed from a fabric layer laminatedwith a foam layer, preferably a polyurethane foam layer, in which casethe method may further comprise joining the inner layer of material, thebreast cup core, and the outer layer of material by molding.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a method ofmanufacturing a breast cup comprising the steps of molding a first layerof material comprising a fabric layer laminated with a foam layer,preferably a polyurethane foam layer, to form a breast cup shapedregion; placing an injection molded breast cup core onto the moldedfirst layer of material; placing a second layer of material comprising afabric layer laminated with a foam layer, preferably a polyurethane foamlayer, onto the breast cup core; and joining the first layer, the breastcup core and the second layer by molding. The method may furthercomprise providing an underwire, which may be molded with the injectionmolded breast cup core.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a method ofmanufacturing a brassiere comprising molding a first layer of materialcomprising a fabric layer laminated with a foam layer, preferably apolyurethane foam layer, to have a first breast cup shaped region and asecond breast cup region; placing an injection molded breast cup coreonto each of the breast cup shaped regions of the molded first layer ofmaterial; placing a second layer of material comprising a fabric layerlaminated with a foam layer, preferably a polyurethane foam layer, ontothe breast cup cores; and joining the first layer, the breast cup coresand the second layer by molding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of an exemplary bra having a breast cup coreaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the breast cup core of FIG. 1 along theline II-II;

FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the breast cup core of FIG. 1 along theline III-III;

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary breast cup having an underwire or underwireassembly being attached around a periphery of the breast cup;

FIG. 5A shows an exemplary mold for injection molding a breast cup coreaccording to the present invention with an exemplary pattern of throughholes;

FIGS. 5B and 5C show an exemplary mold for injection molding a cup coreaccording to the present invention with another exemplary pattern ofthrough holes;

FIG. 6 shows a side perspective view of a breast cup core in accordancewith the present invention, with an enlarged view of a cross section ofa through hole;

FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C show three exemplary patterns of through holes;

FIG. 8 shows a comparative view of a conventional bra and a braaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary shapewear having breast cup cores according tothe present invention; and

FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B show a cross section of the shapewear of FIG. 9along the line X-X according to two embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 shows an exemplary breast cup having a breast cup coresandwiched between an outer layer comprising an outer fabric layerlaminated with an outer foam layer and an inner layer comprising aninner fabric layer laminated with an inner foam layer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a breast cup core for use in a breast cupof a bra or in a shapewear. The term “breast cup core” in thisapplication is intended to refer to a main body portion of a breast cupthat substantially defines the structure and the shape of the breastcup. The breast cup core preferably extends across substantially thewhole of the breast cup.

Shapewear usually includes a breast portion having two breast cups and abody portion for supporting and/or shaping the wearer's chest and waistareas, either as an integral piece or a plurality of pieces joinedtogether. A core may be provided to define the structure and the shapeof a shapewear which extends across the breast portion and the bodyportion, the core including two breast cup cores. The core of ashapewear may be formed as an integral piece or multiple pieces.

FIG. 1 shows a bra 1 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. The bra 1 comprises two breast cups 10 connected by abridging portion 12, a breast band 14 and a shoulder strap 16 extendingfrom each breast cup 10 to the breast band 14. The breast cup 10comprises a breast cup core according to the present invention.According to a first aspect of the present invention, the breast cupcore is injection molded. According to a second aspect of the presentinvention, the breast cup core has a plurality of through holes, wherethe breast cup core is made by injection molding or any other suitablemanufacturing process.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 illustrate cross sections of an exemplary breast cupcore 100 that can be used to form the breast cups 10. Preferably, thebreast cup core 100 is formed of a thermoplastic rubber material or athermoplastic elastomer. However, the breast cup core may be formed fromany suitable materials, such as PU (polyurethane) gel, latex, orsilicone.

The breast cup core 100 can be made thin and with the desired shape,preferably corresponding to the shape of the desired breast cup. Thethickness across the breast cup core can be varied according to needs,for example, by designing the injection mold appropriately. For example,the breast cup core may be made thicker at the underarm region and/or atthe lower peripheral region where enhanced support is usually desired.Of course, varied thickness may not be necessary and the breast cup coreaccording to the present invention may have a uniform thickness. Asubstantial portion of the breast cup core may be provided with athickness of about 1 mm, since the relatively strong tensile strength ofa breast cup core formed from, for example, thermoplastic rubber orelastomer, is able to the provide the desired support and maintain thedesired shape at this thickness. Other regions of the cup may haveincreased thickness. In these regions of increased thickness, thethickness of the breast cup core may be anywhere between 1 mm to 5 mm,and preferably between 1 mm and 3 mm.

Because of the relatively strong tensile strength of the breast cup corematerial, the shape of the breast cup core is normally not changed bythe presence of the wearer's nipple. However, the thickness at the apexregion of the breast cup core may be increased to further conceal thenipple, for example, by designing the injection mold appropriately. Theexemplary breast cup core 100 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 has increasedthickness at the apex region 102 and at the underarm and lower peripheryregion 104.

The breast cup core 100 preferably has a plurality of through holes 110which may be arranged in a predetermined pattern, although any patternmay be used. An enlarged view of a through hole is shown in FIG. 6. Thethrough holes provide breathability of the breast cup core. The throughholes may be any suitable size or in any suitable shape. The density ofthe through holes may vary across the breast cup core, as shown in FIGS.7A-7C. By changing the density of the through holes, it may be possibleto vary the stretchability of the breast cup core, as well as itsbreathability.

The through holes are preferably regularly shaped. The pattern of thethrough holes also affects the elasticity or stretchability of thebreast cup core. A region having more holes generally has a greaterstretchability than another region having fewer holes. Varied elasticityover different regions of the breast cup core may be accomplished byvarying one or more of the though hole pattern, the through holedensity, the through hole size, or the breast cup core thickness.

The pattern of the through holes may be chosen to provide the desiredbreathability, stretchability, elasticity and/or desired aestheticeffects. Examples of suitable patterns of through holes are shown inFIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C. FIG. 7A shows an embodiment in which the thoughholes are arranged in a geometrical pattern, resembling a flowerpattern. FIG. 7B shows another embodiment in which the through holes arearranged in a lace pattern. The through holes shown in FIG. 7C havecircular shapes. The through holes are preferably at least 1 mm or 2 mmin diameter (or have a similar area if the through holes are of adifferent shape). In these example patterns, the through holes provideless stretchability and elasticity at the underarm region and/or lowerperiphery region, thereby providing enhanced support in these regions.As mentioned above, these regions may alternatively or additionally bemade with an increased thickness to enhance support.

The breast cup core according to the present invention may furthercomprise an underwire or underwire assembly which has an underwireencased within an underwire sock or an underwire channel. The underwireor underwire assembly may be at least partially surrounded by the breastcup core material. FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B show an exemplary arrangementin which an underwire or underwire assembly 21 is formed with a breastcup core 20.

FIGS. 5A-5C show exemplary molds according to the present invention forforming a breast cup core. The exemplary mold shown in FIGS. 5A-5Ccomprises a cavity in the shape of a breast cup core for receivinginjection molded material to form a breast cup core. The mold 200 may bea two-part mold having a first half portion 210 and a second halfportion 220. The first half portion 210 has a concave breast cup coreregion 212 and the second half portion 220 has a corresponding convexbreast cup core region 222.

The mold may further comprise a plurality of protrusions which extendacross the cavity of the mold to form through holes in a breast cup coreformed in the mold. The protrusions may be provided on one of the firsthalf portion and the second half portion, or on both. FIG. 5A shows anexample in which each half portion 210, 220 have a plurality ofprotrusions 214, 224 for forming through holes in a predeterminedpattern. The protrusions 214, 224 are arranged to form through holes ina floral pattern (for example, as shown in FIG. 7A). FIG. 5B showsanother example of a mold 200′ half which has protrusions 214′ forforming through holes in a circular shape (for example, in a pattern asshown in FIG. 7C). FIG. 5C shows an arrangement in which a first halfportion 210′ and a second half portion 220′ of the mold 200′ have beenassembled together.

The plurality of through holes can be formed by other means, for examplepunching, by mechanical or laser means, a hole through a formed breastcup core which has been manufactured by injection molding or any othersuitable process.

The mold may further comprise at least one more protrusion for holdingan underwire or underwire assembly in a predetermined position withinthe cavity so that the underwire or underwire assembly is formed withthe breast cup core material in the process of molding. Of course, theunderwire and underwire assembly may be formed with the breast cup corein any other suitable way. For example, a detent may be formed on theinner surface of one or both of the mold portions for accommodating anunderwire or underwire assembly.

The mold 200 may be formed of any material suitable for injectionmolding, such as steel or aluminum. The mold may also be designed tohave varied gaps at predetermined areas in the cavity so that theresulting breast cup core has varied thickness at the predeterminedareas according to needs.

By using a mold of the present invention to manufacture breast cupcores, all of the features of the breast cup core described above can beprovided by designing the mold appropriately. This may ensure aconsistent quality of manufacture with increased flexibility in thedesign of the breast cup core.

The present invention also provides a breast cup that comprises a breastcup core 100 having one or more of the features described above. Thebreast cup core may be sandwiched between an inner layer of material andan outer layer of material. The inner layer, being the closest to thewear's skin, may be a fabric layer and the outer layer may be formed ofa fabric or lace material. The outer layer may be attached to the innerlayer around the periphery of the breast cup, for example by sewingand/or hemming. Other suitable attachment means may also be used, suchas by welding or heat pressing. FIG. 10B shows an example of such alayered arrangement. In an alternative arrangement, as shown in FIG. 11,the outer layer comprises an outer fabric layer 326 laminated with anouter foam layer 322 and an inner layer comprising an inner fabric layer328 laminated with an inner foam layer 324. A breast cup core 320 issandwiched between the inner layer and the outer layer. The inner andouter layers, and the breast cup core, can be attached to one anotherduring a molding process. FIG. 10A also shows an example of thisarrangement. For a thin cup, the foam layer preferably has a thicknessof about 1 mm.

The breast cup may further comprise an underwire or an underwireassembly 18 comprising an underwire encased within an underwire sock ora channel. The underwire or underwire assembly 18 may be attached to theinner side of breast cup as shown in FIG. 4. Of course, the underwire orunderwire assembly 18 may be attached to the breast cup in any othersuitable manner. For example, the underwire or underwire assembly 18 (asshown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B) may be molded with the breast cup corein the process of injection molding as described above. Alternatively,the underwire or underwire assembly may be molded between inner andouter layers of a breast cup, along with the breast cup core.Alternatively, the underwire or underwire assembly may be attached tothe outer side of the breast cup.

The breast cup core described above may form a part of a bra 1 as shownin FIG. 1 or a part of a shapewear 2 as shown in FIGS. 9, 10A and 10B.FIG. 10A shows a cross section of an exemplary arrangement of ashapewear comprising a core that includes a breast cup core 20, an outerlayer comprising an outer fabric layer 26 laminated with an outer foamlayer 22, and an inner layer comprising an inner fabric layer 28laminated with an inner foam layer 24. The inner layer, the core,including breast cup core 20, and the outer layer may be moldedtogether. FIG. 10B shows an alternative arrangement in which the foamlayers are not included, that is, the shapewear 2 comprises a corecomprising a breast cup core 20, an outer fabric layer 26 and an innerfabric layer 28. The inner layer 28 and outer layer 26 are preferablynot attached completely to each other, for example, they may be attachedonly around the periphery of the shapewear 2.

The core, that includes a breast cup core 20, in the shapewear 2 asillustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B is formed into one piece and extendsover the breast and body portions of the shapewear. However, the coreneed not extend over the full extent of the shapewear and couldalternatively be formed to only cover the breast cup area, as is usedfor bras. Similarly, although the core of the shapewear 2 and theshapewear itself are shown in one piece, this is not necessary and theymay be formed of multiple pieces, for example the shapewear may comprisetwo separate breast cup cores that are incorporated into the shapewear.

FIGS. 10A and 10B has an underwire or underwire assembly 21 molded withthe breast cup core 20. As shown in FIG. 10B, the underwire or underwireassembly 21 may be molded between the outer fabric layer 26 and theinner fabric layer 28 during the formation of the shapewear. Theunderwire or underwire assembly 21 may be attached to the shapewear inother suitable manners, for example, attached to the inner side of theinner fabric layer 28 or to the outer side of the outer fabric layer 26,or, in the case of a shapewear comprising foam layers, as shown in FIG.10A, molded between inner and outer foam layers 24, 22, during theformation of the shapewear.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a breastcup core by injection molding a breast cup core formed of a materialsuitable for injection molding. The breast cup core may be provided withone or more of the features described above. The method may use a moldas described above.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a breastcup comprising the steps of injection molding a breast cup core;sandwiching the breast cup core according to the present inventionbetween an outer layer of material and an inner layer of material; andjoining the outer layer and the inner layer. According to a first aspectof the invention, the breast cup core is injection molded; According toa second aspect of the invention, the breast cup core has a plurality ofthrough holes, where the breast cup core is formed from injectionmolding or any other suitable process. The outer layer and the innerlayer may be joined by any suitable manner, including sewing andhemming. The breast cup core and breast cup may be provided with one ormore of the features described above.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method ofmanufacturing a breast cup comprises the steps of molding a first layerof material comprising a fabric layer laminated with a foam layer toform a breast cup shaped region; placing a breast cup core according tothe present invention onto the molded first layer of material; placing asecond layer of material comprising a fabric layer laminated with a foamlayer onto the breast cup core; and joining the first layer, the breastcup core and the second layer by molding. The breast cup core may beprovided with one or more of the features described above. The methodmay further comprise trimming the molded layers of material to a breastcup shape.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing abrassiere comprising the steps of molding a first layer of materialcomprising a fabric layer laminated with a foam layer to have a firstbreast cup shaped region and a second breast cup region; placing abreast cup core according to the present invention onto each of thebreast cup shaped regions of the molded first layer of material; placinga second layer of material comprising a fabric layer laminated with afoam layer onto the cup cores; and joining the first layer, the breastcup core and the second layer by molding. The breast cup core may beprovided with one or more of the features described above. The twobreast cup cores may be formed, and placed onto the breast cup regions,as an integral unit.

For shapewear, the same method can be used to form an integrated bra oran integrated bra and body, where the integrated shapewear is formedfrom molding the inner layer, the core and the outer layer, where thecore comprises two separate breast cup cores that are placed on theinner layer; a number of core portions, comprising breast cup cores; aunitary core comprising two breast cup cores; or a unitary sectioncomprising two breast cup cores and a body area.

Additionally, the method may further comprise providing an underwire orunderwire assembly to the breast cup in any suitable manner, forexample, molded with the breast cup core or attached to the inner orouter side of the breast cup.

By injection molding a breast cup core, the breast cup core can be athin and elastic structure. The relatively strong tensile strength ofthe breast cup core material helps maintain the shape of the breast cupcore and provide desired support. FIG. 8 shows a comparative view of abra (lower figure) with breast cups having a breast cup core accordingto the present invention relative to a conventional bra (upper figure)having thin breast cups. It can be seen that the breast cup coreaccording to the present invention maintains a desired cup shape whilstthe conventional breast cup does not have the same desired cup shape andsupport.

In addition, injection molding allows various desirable features of thebreast cup core to be provided simply by designing the mold accordingly.This increases the flexibility of breast cup core design.

While several illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shownand described, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occurto those skilled in the art. Also, numerous features in differentembodiments may be selectively combined to provide a desired effect.Such variations and alternate embodiments are contemplated, and can bemade without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

1. A breast cup comprising an inner layer of material, an outer layer ofmaterial, and an injection molded breast cup core sandwiched between theinner layer and the outer layer.
 2. A breast cup of claim 1, wherein thebreast cup core is formed from a thermoplastic rubber material.
 3. Abreast cup of claim 1, wherein the breast cup core has a plurality ofthrough holes.
 4. A breast cup of claim 1, wherein the through holedensity varies across the breast cup core.
 5. A breast cup of claim 1,wherein the breast cup core has regions of varied thickness.
 6. A breastcup of claim 1, wherein the breast cup core extends across substantiallythe whole of the breast cup.
 7. A breast cup of claim 1, furthercomprising an underwire molded with the breast cup core.
 8. A breast cupof claim 1, wherein a substantial portion of the breast cup corecomprises a thickness of 1 mm.
 9. A breast cup of claim 1, furthercomprising an underwire wherein the underwire is attached to an innerside of the inner layer of material.
 10. A breast cup of claim 1,wherein the inner layer of material and the outer layer of material eachcomprises a fabric layer laminated with a foam layer.
 11. A breast cupof claim 1, wherein the inner layer of material, the breast cup core,and the outer layer of material are molded together.
 12. A method ofmanufacturing a breast cup comprising: injection molding a breast cupcore for a breast cup; sandwiching the breast cup core between an outerlayer of material and an inner layer of material; and joining the outerlayer of material and the inner layer of material.
 13. A method of claim12, further comprising providing an underwire.
 14. A method of claim 13,wherein the underwire is molded with the breast cup core in the processof injecting molding.
 15. A method of claim 13, wherein the underwire isattached to an inner side of the inner layer of material.
 16. A methodof claim 12, wherein the inner and outer layers are each formed from afabric layer laminated with a foam layer.
 17. A method of claim 12,further comprising joining the inner layer of material, the breast cupcore, and the outer layer of material by molding.
 18. A method ofmanufacturing a breast cup comprising: molding a first layer of materialcomprising a fabric layer laminated with a foam layer to form a breastcup shaped region; placing an injection molded breast cup core onto themolded first layer of material; placing a second layer of materialcomprising a fabric layer laminated with a foam layer onto the breastcup core; and joining the first layer, the breast cup core and thesecond layer by molding.
 19. A method of claim 18, further comprisingproviding an underwire.
 20. A method of claim 19, wherein the underwireis molded with the injection molded breast cup core.